Ocean County wants you to pinpoint its most dangerous streets on an interactive online map.

You can anonymously post pins, draw lines, and write comments about why certain roads or intersections need improvement at Ocean.SafetyPlansNJ.com. Drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit commuters are welcome to file complaints.

Some of the comments already posted include: a Lakewood driver who wrote, “Drivers coming from Washington may have a very difficult time turning left onto Pine,” a Toms River bus passenger who wrote, “two things stand out: the lack of safe, maintained sidewalks and paths to Toms River proper,” and a Manchester driver who complained that the entrance to the Oak Knoll neighborhood “intersects with a 50 mph four-lane road. This is dangerous for both cars and pedestrians, and requires a traffic light and crosswalk.”

The Ocean County project, funded by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, is one of eight local safety action plans. The others are Bergen, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties.

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The remaining counties, including Monmouth, Middlesex, Union, Hudson and Essex, are included on the interactive map and are within the jurisdiction of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority but are not currently being studied for the local safety action plan

Monmouth County received a $1.18 million Safe Streets and Roads for All grant in 2022.

Local Safety Action Plans allow counties and municipalities to apply for federal grants, including the Safe Streets and Roads for All programs.

According to an Ocean County press release, “more than 59% of all fatal and serious injury crashes in Ocean County occur on local roads.”

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Not only does the county’s population double during the summer tourist season, when people flock to the Shore, but the county also grows in population. According to the U.S. Census, the population in 2010 was 576,567. In 2023, it grew to 659,197, an increase of 14%.

Ocean County Commissioner John P. Kelly, who is also a member of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority board, said in a news release that population growth is putting a strain on county roads.

“Ocean County maintains over 1,600 miles of county roads along with nearly 260 culverts and bridges,” he said. “We have always prioritized safety, and that has not changed.”

The local safety action plans are based on the Vision Zero campaign, which works at a local and grassroots level to promote solutions to achieve zero road fatalities.

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According to the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, “Strong (local safety action plans) follow the Safe Systems Approach, which recognizes that both human error and system design contribute to crashes. This approach aims to build roads that prevent crashes and reduce the consequences when people make mistakes. By layering safer vehicles, safer speeds, safer roads, greater safety for people and post-crash care, safe systems prevent crashes that result in death and serious injury.”

In addition to adding information to the map, people will be able to complete a traffic safety survey and attend workshops that will be announced on the Ocean County Local Safety Action Plan website.

According to a press release, the informational event will take place on Saturday, September 7 during Sailfest 2024 in Island Heights.

What improvements are planned? Check out the major road projects planned for Monmouth and Ocean counties through the 2020s

According to the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, from 2017 to 2021, 208 people died on Ocean County roads. During that same time, 45 pedestrians were killed or seriously injured.

Ocean County analyzed the causes of accidents and found that aggressive driving and intersections were the main problems. Additionally, many of the people involved in the accident were pedestrians or cyclists.

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared in Asbury Park Press: Ocean County’s Dangerous Streets Can Be Spotted on Interactive Map